


There is no such thing as beauty sleep in your presence

by qBox



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: But by all means please squint, Camping, Gen, Kissing, M/M, No Plot/Plotless, Norse Bro Feels, Play Fighting, Pre-Thor (2011), Thor snores a lot, and some thorki if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-13 01:48:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7957627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qBox/pseuds/qBox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even gods might find the floor of a tent to be uncomfortable, and that alongside the summer heat has Loki unable to rest.<br/>It certainly doesn't help that his brother refuses to sleep quietly.</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>Thor snores a lot and Loki is getting no sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There is no such thing as beauty sleep in your presence

There had always been an unwritten list of things one did not bring up to Thor Odinson.

One could easily and correctly assume that his lack of responsibility and forethought ranked among the very first on the list. Topping it was most definitely his ever-remaining failure to pick up Mjölnir despite her being promised him a long time since. Mentioning any of these subjects would usually cause some sort of indignant aggression about how what was mentioned was completely untrue, or (if it actually was indisputable) be met with some other passive expression of anger.

He also was not particularly fond of being reminded of his defeats, nor of his loud tantrums thrown in refusal to eat things such as baby carrots in his more infantile youth (which he was thankful few of his friends knew of, for those tantrums were embarrassingly unwarranted). Tightly following them however, and way more of a current embarrassment for him than the baby carrots, was his tendency for overwhelmingly loud snoring. The heavy breaths broke through his open mouth as if they had to shatter something on their way from the lungs, and still his wide chest only moved peacefully.

His brother was galaxies away from being equally at peace. With hands covering his ears and eyes widely staring into the fabric of the wall of their tent, Loki had hours ago ceased any attempts at finding comfort enough to get some proper natural rest. By now he could almost only hope for fatigue to finally render him unconscious, but that didn't seem like it would happen soon either - and this was despite the arduous journey that had already taken them this far. His body was aching from the day sat upon horseback, and his head pounded from heat and exhaustion.

Behind him laid Thor on his back, his arms spread wide enough to reach across the opening between their thin mattresses and over to Loki's side. The fingers were absently playing with what raven locks it could reach and grasp, sometimes with grunts intertwined in his heavy snores and the hand grabbing a hold of the strands a tad too hard. Loki certainly didn't mind the careful parts of his unconscious playing – it was soothing after all and nearly managed to lull him to sleep – but every rough tug had him soaring right back to consciousness with a pained groan. Shifting away didn't help either, since Thor only grumbled and moved to follow him. 

Loki couldn't get a blink of sleep, though he had tried for what felt like hours. As of yet the only animals he could hear surrounding their tent were still nocturnal - the chirp of cicadas, a distantly howling owl - but they were going up at daybreak to continue the hunt, and it was uncomfortably quickly approaching. Was it four hours away now?

Loki rolled over to his back and turned his head to observe his brother, whose fingers now pressed into Loki's cheek in their attempt to hold onto the hair. Though hard to see through the dark, the older's own blond locks were an unruly mess around his face and his head tilted backwards across the rolled pillow. It couldn't be comfortable.

Loki had to agree that he missed his colossal bed with its thick and unbelievably soft mattress, where he couldn't feel every underlying branch and root press up against his spine. He also missed his room's chilled interior where the tent instead was wet with warmth. It was a Midgardian summer night after all, and under their thin excuses for blankets (that were, incidentally, hardly necessary) they were laying in nothing but their small-clothes. And yet it was still hot enough to render his skin damp with sweat.

One of Thor's snores grew rough and low like bass, and Loki frowned, narrowing his eyes in thought. If only he could push his brother over, moving him into a different position where he'd finally stop his godforsaken snoring... But despite Loki not being especially weak, Thor was just exceptionally heavy, given all those muscles. It was a pain though, given that Thor usually didn't snore as unbearably loudly in his own bed, the poor comfort in the tent evidently measuring into the audio levels.

Another tug to his hair and Loki hissed, rolling back to his side once Thor's grip softened. He carefully moved further away on his side, escaping his brother’s reach. The fingers grabbed uselessly and he could hear his brother whimper in his sleep. Loki found himself wondering if perhaps the contact with his hair had played a part in one of Thor's dreams, and curiously considered what it would have been. The sturdy grass of a cliff edge he'd dropped off like in Vanaheim that one time, perhaps, or the fur or mane of a young stallion in training - or, Norns forbid, a wench from any brothel they had passed on their many journeys. The heat certainly didn't help with Loki's flushed, nearly scalding face at the very visual memory and he was about to almost physically shove it away, when he suddenly was brought out of his thoughts by the notion that his pillow was leaving him.

It gradually slipped out from under his head - but said grades quickly increased and Thor soon pressed the narrow thing tightly against his side.

Loki slowly sat up and turned towards him, eyes wide in disbelief. Of all things that could have rendered his sleep worse, the oaf couldn't even be bothered to register what property was his own or not. A few attempts at tugging the pillow out of his strong grip followed, where Loki wondered how his brother possibly could have grown that strong even in this unconscious state.

"Give it back!" he eventually hissed and hit Thor's chest in short, rapid blows that didn't seem to affect him in the slightest. "You big fool, stop stealing what's mine!"

He tugged at it helplessly, which only resulted in Thor squeezing it harder against his ribs. A few definitely non-effective curses slipped across Loki's lips and he slowly pressed his fist into his brother's bristled jaw.

It took a few seconds before Thor's snores ended abruptly in the middle of one, and his lips popped lightly as he closed and again opened his mouth. When the muscular man heavily shifted to his side, facing Loki, his tongue darted out to wet the dry lips while his grip around the pillow loosened momentarily.

The silence was wonderful, and Loki relished in its sudden appearance, closing his eyes and feeling his headache lift. Finally. He would do anything to keep the rest of the night this wonderfully quiet and it felt as if he with ease could strangle the first who spoke to him before he'd gotten his long-delayed rest. 

Loki was just about to return his pillow from the now limp grip, when Thor's soft inhales turned suddenly sharp and infinitely loud. He was snoring again, and Loki groaned along audibly. He grabbed a hold of Thor's face, turning it up towards himself with a rough twist that had his brother's eyes flick open. A low and thunderous rumble of a growl that had the thin hairs in the back of Loki's neck stand on their ends escaped the blond's throat as he heaved himself up on an elbow, laying at his side.

He eyed Loki with concern and caution as well as anger, likely maddened to have been awoken but simultaneously worried about the reason for it. The silence was back, and Loki wished he could enjoy it but it was tense and breathless, and when Thor broke it to speak it was in a dangerously low tone.

"What is the reason for this forceful awakening, brother?" he asked in hushed tones, cautiously looking around the tent as if checking for shadows reflected upon its walls. "Are we under attack?"

If only they had been - at least then Loki would not have been the only one denied his sleep throughout the night, and they could have had a legitimate reason to all take turns resting through the following day's hunt.

Without Loki having to share a tent with the boisterous noises coming from his brother.

"Not by anything other than your thunderous snores, dear Thor", he stated bitterly and folded his arms over his chest. Immediately he saw his brother's eyebrows knot and though Thor opened his lips Loki brusquely interrupted him. "Could you please control yourself?"

It certainly didn't help controlling the blond's anger, but Loki hardly minded - it was all Thor's fault anyway that Loki hadn't gotten any sleep, and he had been slowly growing more and more frustrated for hours. It was definitely worth getting Thor riled up by embarrassing him.

At least it could amuse him for a bit.

And Thor was indeed riled up; his breath came in tiny, angry puffs, and Loki imagined them as clouds of smoke as if he'd been a fire-breathing creature like Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder. The older even sat up more properly to face his little brother, what little of the blanket had been on him slipping easily off of musculature even noticeable in the dark.

"Preposterous!" he huffed out between his clenched teeth, fixing his sapphire eyes on Loki. Even now the blush on his cheeks was visible, turning his face darker. "I do not snore, brother, and I am certainly in no mood for your japes about it!"

Loki rolled his eyes and sent him a sly grin despite his bitterness, which momentarily seemed to make it worse; Thor raised his hands as if to grab him, but then redirected them to pull his fingers through his hair like an ill-begotten comb. He was darting his gaze around the tent, clearly listening for noises that weren't owls or bugs.

"Are there enemies about or are there?" he asked finally, looking for the axe he always insisted on bringing into their tent and locating it at the opening.

Loki sighed deeply.

"I wish I could be jesting, but I would be unable to in this state", he said, not entirely truthfully. Rarely was he  _that_  exhausted. "You have kept me from sleep since the moment we turned in. I am afraid that makes me your single foe tonight."

"Oh!" answered Thor, his brow raised unevenly. "So a weak but irritating wretch I will fight, then!"

His words woke something within Loki, a small fire that churned in his gut and sent him tightening his jaw, straightening his back. A wretch?  _Irritating_? He?

"You are a fool to think me weak, brother!" he hissed back, despite knowing that physically he drowned in comparison to the mountain Thor was. But he had access to something more than that. "I carry more might in my sorcery than you do in your swing", he added proudly, meeting Thor's eye.

It was a challenge declared by doing so and he knew it, aware as he was that Thor in his sleepy state would be even more likely to fall for it. And Loki was torn about it. At one hand, he would rather they both attempt to sleep (or force Thor to remain awake until Loki had fallen unconscious himself) but at the other hand, he was still cross with his brother. Hadn't it been for him, Loki wouldn't have been out on this forlorn hunt to begin with! It wasn't that he despised the idea of a hunt by itself - with his tricks rather than his weaponry he'd often catch a few animals himself - but he couldn't for the life of himself understand why they'd have to travel so far on horseback. Couldn't Heimdall just have sent them closer to where they needed to be?

"Ooh, I doubt that, Loki! Thus far I have beaten you in every fight!" Thor pointed out, a wide grin gleaming under the frown. He always ached to protect his pride, every hour of the day – or night as it were.

"Physical fight", Loki corrected and pushed at him, "and only because you have the upper hand in weight!"

He realized too late that he shouldn't have mentioned that fact, especially as Thor only grinned wider and deliberately homed in towards him.

"Well of course. Weight. In _muscle_ ", he said, as slowly as he moved, and Loki saw him tower up before himself.

He knew what was coming and chose to attack before such embarrassment could befall him; he got ground under his feet and leapt shoulder-first into Thor's chest, catching the blond of both guard and balance. As Thor tipped backwards, arms waving like a windmill to regain his position, Loki quickly sprang up on top of him to hold him down with his own weight. One knee at each side he straddled the hard stomach, and crossed his arms with a triumphant sneer.

"As if you're the only one physically capable of us two", he mocked, pressing his thighs closer around Thor's waist to keep the blond from shoving him off as easily.

"Surprise attacks and feints hardly count as combat", Thor protested, but he was grinning widely, his hands reaching for Loki's hips. The fingers dug into his flesh hard enough to bruise, but he wasn't too bothered - until Thor spun sideways and Loki's shoulder smacked into the uneven ground. The impact ran through his body and had his already aching head ring deafeningly.

Groaning he reached down to take Thor’s wrists, but before he got so far he was rolled over to his back, Thor's long hair cascading down around their faces like a waterfall. He was chuckling, the big oaf. And continuously moving.

Loki's wrists were captured and his arms pushed down along his sides, and while Thor's elbows locked the younger's legs from moving up into kicks, his own thighs locked them from going down. His limbs were immobilized.

"Nevertheless", huffed Thor smugly, nonchalantly following up on his previous statement. "They can certainly be made use of when the situation demands it."

A laugh slipped Loki's throat, short and amused, and he let his limbs soften and relax in his brother's grip.

"Rest assured I commit that piece of knowledge to memory,  _oh all-mighty Thor_ ", he added, making sure to line and accentuate each word which gave him a huffed chuckle in response.

"I was resting before you woke me up", Thor pointed out and put more of his weight on his hands much to his brother's chagrin.

"Well, I certainly was not", Loki calmly retorted despite the overpowering weight, an eyebrow arched. "Your snores are worse than the grunts of Sæhrímnir and louder than the howls of a Helhound. I wouldn't be surprised if you have kept the entire camp awake, brother. In fact, is it truly Thor with whom I share this tent, or has another shapeshifter entered our midst?"

Thor remained as unamused by the topic as he'd have expected.

"I do not snore", he insisted, squeezing Loki's wrists in his hands absently. "Why, had I ever, would I not have been told by any of the fair maidens that have shared my bed?"

"Oh of course, because my reference point is useless in comparison?" Loki asked, amused at his brother's indignant displeasure. "I have only known you for your entire life - hardly enough time to notice. Come now, Thor, release me and allow me some semblance of sleep."

When Thor hesitated, frustrated frowns likely playing in his shaded face, Loki blew some of the blond locks out of the way of his own face, looking up to see if he could catch sight of the blue eyes despite the dim light. Then he raised his eyebrows before letting his gaze run down across their bodies. This position was too warm, and he was too overpowered for his own liking. He had to get out of it.

"Why, is this not an intriguingly compromising situation?" he asked quietly as if it was a big secret, feeling the hair strands move across his own face as Thor tilted his head in question. "If someone this instant was to enter our tent, would they not have reason to wonder what we were undertaking?"

"What?" Thor asked, suspicion making his voice lower and hesitant.

Loki again nodded his aching head in the direction of their position. He tried to keep the playful smile off of his lips; Norns help him, he tried.

"The two sons of Odin; how could this be? How scandalous! Or is it that you've in a stupor mistaken your brother for one of your bed maidens?" he teased innocently, feeling the heat radiate from his brother's face as he begun to realize the implication. And, taking the moment given by his hesitation, Loki raised himself on his elbows and pressed his lips against Thor's.

An instant later Thor flew backwards, releasing his thin limbs, and Loki quickly moved (scrambled, really) to get his own bearings and to his knees.

"Loki!" scolded Thor, wiping his mouth to the ringing sound of his brother's laughter. "What was that for?!"

"Oh that was  _hilarious_! I haven't seen you move that quickly since the incident with mother's vase", Loki nearly wheezed out between his giggles, shoulders shaking as the laughter grew into quiet, shallow noises.

The fist came flying faster than Loki had time to gather himself and react to it, and landed across his cheek. Loki himself landed on the ground, forcing himself up again. The impact had been hard but not bone-shattering; his head rang, but more important than his health and well-being was his desire to punch Thor back for that one. It was a question of honor and pride, now.

Soon they were all but wrestling on the ground, angry huffs intertwined with bouts of laughter from both sides. The dark made measuring distance and depth much harder, and both brothers often miscalculated their attacks, landing flat on their chests instead. It was terribly dumb and most ridiculous, though their fists collided with shoulders, stomachs and faces.

They'd both be bruised in the morning, but as they finally ran out of stamina that was none of their concerns. Tired but laughing, Loki wrapped his long arms loosely around his brother's neck and rested his forehead at his shoulder.

"I win", Thor grinned lazily down towards him and Loki shook his head slowly.

"Doubtfully; I remain the one with the higher ground", he pointed out, but it was hard to keep a serious face on so he decided against it.

"Higher ground?" Thor repeated and for a moment shifted as if he was to roll over with him again, but eventually remained still. Loki was relieved, though new discomforts came to him even in this position. He also chose not to move however, in parts due to fatigue and the return of a now over-encumbering headache.

They also had not spent time this closely together for ages, Loki realized as he felt himself rise and sink with Thor's heavy breaths. Decades, centuries. How old had they been the last time they snuck into each other's rooms for the night and frightened the servants and royal guard with their disappearance? Hiding under Loki's blankets that one time, giggling at the prospect of what mischief they conducted together? Giddy, like now.

Had Thor begun growing into his muscles back then? Had Loki begun his training in sorcery? He could remember so far back and still the moments blurred, covered in a mist of nostalgia and an odd sense of longing.

The mist was terrible, squeezing his lungs like an illness or a poison. It wasn't new, of course, and Loki knew that ignoring it worked best. The other sense was tougher to dismiss, given their proximity that shouldn't allow him to miss the other as much as he still did.

"By Odin's beard, you're too hot", he groaned instead, and it was true in all senses of the word, proven by their skin sticking together whenever he shifted. There was really no need to distinguish the _other_ meaning to it.

"Hush", Thor mumbled back almost sleepily. It made sense, Loki supposed. Though their fight had been refreshing in some ways, it was exhausting in others.

He rolled off on Thor's side instead, making sure to land on his arm as well as pulling the pillows close to actually keep it.

"Luck shines upon me however to have you this close, you icicle you", Thor added, lazily drawing circles on Loki's back with wide fingertips. "In my experience, this part of Midgard rarely experiences summer heatwaves like this..."

"I'm still warm", Loki protested, ignoring the weather report and closing his eyes. In his aching mind memories were called forth and clarified by the soft circle patterns, and they were hiding close together in Loki's room - snickering with Thor who told him stories about his day on the training grounds, of Sif and of Fandral, and the lemon cakes the chef had promised to make the next day. Loki's body had been uncomfortably heated back then too, wrapped in another of his seemingly endless fevers... But young Thor, a fool too dumb to ever fall ill, had slipped into his chamber despite the healers' recommendation not to. He'd snuck in with sweet fruits and pastries, and a thing of mead that he had nicked from good Volstagg.

It hadn't tasted too great back then, but it had brought to his mind a warm blur that seemed to soften the effect of the fever. But that was back when they could sleep close together comfortably. Back then, before-

"What ails your mind, brother?" asked Thor, his voice soft and alert all the same. Startled by his sudden voice, Loki tensed up and momentarily pressed his face closer against the wide shoulder, before he gathered his strength and raised his head up. 

"Why do you believe something ails me?" he asked, a tilt to his head and a smooth sneer to his lips that hardly was visible in the dark - but definitely audible in the tone.

Thor tutted softly and Loki felt his neck go warm, irritated at the dismissal. As if he was a child still..!

"Do not think me just  _so_  foolish, Loki; something always goes on inside your skull", spoke the blond and wrapped his thick arm around Loki's shoulder. The free hand took his chin between thumb and forefinger, and tilted his head up when Loki's sighs threatened to let it slip down again. He could feel the sapphire eyes upon him, drilling through him. "Be it plans or concerns, I wish to hear."

It truly wasn't that big of a secret, and Loki wasn't sure why he spent a few blinks contemplating his words before he answered.

"I simply thought about the last time we slept like this", he finally said, and a light "ah" was let out of Thor's throat. Loki recognized it; it wasn't a sound of recollection or recognition, but one of a lack thereof.

He sighed, and Thor hurriedly cleared his throat.

"No, no, do not fret, I recall it", he said with enough stress placed on the pronunciation to let even the daftest know it was an absolute lie.

A weird sense of disappointment at something that really should have been expected filled Loki to the brim, but he remained quiet until Thor began to squirm uncomfortably.

"Fine – in truth, I have only the faintest of memory of it", he mumbled, voice low in dubiety. He did however join in when Loki chuckled in turn, a laugh that certainly felt more forced than it sounded.

"Are you not the one to commonly insist your memory stretches back to before your first walking steps?" he taunted and a rumbling guffaw escaped his brother, who at first desperately tried to act serious at the question.

"Why yes, of course! I keep important memories in mind; significant battles and quests, the first maid I bedded. And the tenth. Certainly, with this many years, you also have some that trickle out of what is recalled. It will return to me in time."

Loki agreed in silence; he certainly didn't remember everything at all times either. His mind's eye was equally filled with battles as it was of spells, curses and runes, but it would appear they gauged importance in different manners.

"Do tell me, however, it might help!"

Thor was clearly smiling, the prospect of an amusing story exciting the fool. He'd have to be disappointed, then; the memory was more nostalgic than humorous after all. Of course Thor's stories had been a delight, but if he were to describe that night it would have been with the rather unmanly  _cozy_. Given Thor's mindset in regards to  _that_  matter, that description wouldn't be met with a whole lot of pleasantries. No, nostalgic would be the safer choice of word.

Eventually the guards had found Thor there and carried him off in his feet, the boy uselessly demanding to be released in the haughtiest of tones.

Honestly, Loki realised,  _that_  had been pretty amusing.

"I was ill", he started out, slowly, and Thor's snicker interrupted what else he was considering saying.

"Oh, but you were so often bedridden, brother", he commented and Loki felt his limbs grow heavy from exhaustion.

"Why yes, but..." Once Loki had begun he realised there was no energy left in him to clarify anymore, and instead he let out a small exhale, hoping it sounded like a chuckle. "It's of little importance either way, the memory just came to me suddenly."

Thor needn't know that it honestly was one Loki thought to be of utmost importance to him.

"Another day perhaps", yawned the older prince, the circles he made on Loki's back with his fingertips made larger when he placed his palm down instead. "We are both already doomed to be too exhausted to hunt in the morrow, and I plan on felling a vast amount of boars."

Loki's snort of a breath could probably be interpreted as a laugh, and he shook his head lightly, leaning against Thor despite the heat. The hand on his back slowly moved up and wrapped around the back of his neck, a soft and soothing touch.

"I vote to lay the blame upon you", he mumbled, which had Thor frowning  _audibly_  - an ever so slight  _harrumph_  that rang through his wide chest and echoed in Loki's bones.

"I don't snore, brother", Thor insisted which was clearly untrue given the previous hours' worth of noise. Loki smiled back at him, reaching up a hand to his neck, mimicking Thor's action.

"Of course you don't", he said as smoothly as he could, the smirk audible in his voice. "But do turn your head to the side at least, or by the Norns I will see you choke before sunrise."

And without any more complaints, Thor turned his head.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, hi, hello. Hope you enjoyed, and please feel free to comment if you liked it or there is anything!  
> English is not my first language, so sometimes I'm afraid I might not get the words right.
> 
> I just really wanted to write short moments rather than the longer plots I usually wind up writing on!  
> (Meanwhile, I apologize for said long plots that I have not continued posting on. They'll be back eventually. Oops--)


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